Day 21-24-Exposure Part 1

Liang Yu and Ye Xinghe had to opposing factions on the surface. Xia Yuning, An Xueyun, Mo Yu, and Zhao Ning were speaking to members of the Dark Moon Family. Lin Yi was calm seeing as Ye Xinghe looked to be sorry for his behavior before and took the reprimand by Liang Yu. It fooled enough people to not draw attention much.

Ling Yi suggested the day be spent passing information among each other. Fighting out who was all dead and accounted for. None paying attention to the fact Liang Jian was on the cart. He was covered enough to pass as another student that was killed.

Long as he kept quiet anyway. As the night came quickly, the tents turned quiet. Several teachers and students had eaten poison rabbit. Sprinkled with traces of Poison Dragon Grass, they stood in to keep from causing trouble.

The Dark Moon Family were fine as Liang Yu already taught them a method to cultivate poison. As well as refining the Poison Dragon Grass with Black Cloud Grass. Ye Xinghe mentioning after people were poison to eat some to help fight the hallucinations and shortness of breath.

Ling Hong and his members poisoned almost all the food to make sure. Huddled in tents, it was hard to determine who was ok and who was not.

"Yinghe," Lin Hong entered the tent taking stock of who was inside. Besides a few sleeping commoners anyway. "good to see you are ok."

Ye Xinghe had a short breath but it was not from the poison herbs. Just an effect of the Frost Air Body he was circulating. Gesturing for the little deceiver to sit down, it took everything to keep from cutting his head cleanly off on the spot.

"At least you are ok." He gave a strained smile. "Heard you ran in to trouble, you doing ok?"

"Yeah, a few students showed reactions before I took a bite. As for my injuries, I was going to ask if you can help me. But that might not be a good idea." Lin Hong scratched out the idea to have ask to heal him using Star Energy. It wouldn't bode well at all if it weakened Ye Xinghe at this state. "I just can't get over the poisoning that was done by one of the people here."

"Haa, I was afraid of that." Yinghe played along with him. Frowning and using a rag to wipe off his sweat. "They would have to have infiltrated from the outside though. Just who could it be is the question."

"I was thinking the same thing." Lin Hong smiled falling into the trap even more so. "From the words of yourself and the other students, it has to be a teacher. That means Lin Yi is the most likely culprit. He didn't disagree at all with Chu Xian previously."

"That I can understand." Xinghe's frown deepened. "A teacher with him tried really hard to get me to stay. Now that I think about it, he had to have try to get me to stay to help with ambushing others through the use of force. Glad I was able to project a lot of strength and strike him down swiftly."

"How strong are you currently?" Lin Hong needed to gauge his strength for his next plan.

"Once the poison is out of my system completely, I should be back at the 4th Heavenly layer. I did a lot of fighting and running over the last few days. Pushed myself right along with a little help from resources found in a cave."

Taking out some Snow Essence's, he showed Lin Hong. However, this piece of Snow Essence had Flame Vortex Core energy inside. If Lin Hong took the bait and used it, it will be even easier to take him down.

As he would be in the range of both Liang Yu and Ye Xinghe when they acted. Whether he could cripple him outright or cause the body to seize like with the lightning remains to be tested.

"May I?" Lin Hong could not pass up the chance. Snow Essence was known to help in so many ways. "I will pay for it even." He reached to the satchel and passed over 20 Star Stones. It was way more than someone like him should have. 'Thankfully, he looks more suprised at the amount than the reason I have it.'

Playing reluctant, Yinghe pulled back.

"I can't take your life savings. I can't imagine how many fights you had to get into recently to get that amount. Should be worth a small fortune to people like us."

"We are brothers!" Lin Hong pushed the stones into his hands. Not minding the cold touch, he chalked it up to the Snow Essence. Which was emitting a power chill of its own. "I would be ashamed if you didn't!"

"Oh.. ok." Yinghe took one and started to absorb it slowly. The rest were put into a pouch. "I will find some way to pay you back later!" Needing to recover, Lin Hong made an excuse to leave. Promising to come back later.

"Later Xinghe." Lin Hong had a smile on his face as he was sure he would be able to take out Liang Yu after recovering fully. 'After he is taken out, it will be much easier to move on Ye Xinghe and recruit him to the side of the Rebellion.'

Missing the look given to him, the blonde little troublemaker sealed his own death with each passing moment. In the tent of Ye Xinghe, those who were thought to be commoner students popped up.

Lin Yi and Ying Lu counted among the group. To say teacher Lin Yi was angry was not needed. The man had a vein ready to burst. Ying Lu just waited to she was good to leave. Which was when Liang Yu entered the tent.

"I am gonna check on the others." She was heading straight to Zhao Ning to bug her. 'Perfect time to find out more from her.' She was in for trouble, as the teen was cultivating relentlessly like most of the people inside.

"Lin Hong has gotten far enough away." Liang Yu sat down giving a simple nod to Lin Yi. No more respect than he deserved. Calming himself, Lin Yi couldn't get over how easily the situation was changing.

As if the two knew something he didn't. Which was true and he would not know to keep from causing trouble. Hopefully, he makes a mistake and gets killed.

"Here, 15 Star Stones." Xinghe passed over. The other needed it more to raise his Star Martial Art Dantian up. Liang Yu currently has the Flame Vortex Core at 4th Heavenly layer, Dragon Martial Arts at 4th Heavenly layer, and teh Star Martial Arts at the 2nd Heavenly Layer. "Hopefully we can get out of this before the rebels attack."

"Good work." Liang Yu put them into a bag and immediately sucked it into the Flame Vortex he had. "To think the son of the dead general Lin Kuan would try to kill the daughter of the North Lord's Mansion."

"Lin Kuan!?" Lin Yi was shocked. He knew the legend of Lin Kuan and never knew the relationship between the little schemer Lin Hong to the family. Considering the implications to the Eternal Heaven Family, he would think it would be something they would have been informed about. "The Academy's background checks are not going as deep as they should."

The conversation steered to what was happening in the regard to the North lord's Mansion movement around this time. Having refined so many of the soldiers previously, it was easy to develop some small plans in regards to their actions.

As well as steer Lin Yi in the direction they of him.

.

That Night-

.

Almost dawn by an hour or so, the fake groans were done by most, with only a few grumbling of hunger. Ye Xinghe was currently walkign aroun

"Where are you going?" Xia Yuning of all people was up. Questioning Ye Xinghe immediately upon seeing him. "We haven't finished talking from before."

Lin Hong spotted him wanting to have a conversation. He tried to sneak into teh Dark Moon tent using his summons to strike a death blow but to many of them were awake. Liang Yu was even on guard when going out to take a piss!

"We can talk later, I am going to piss, you want to watch me do it?" Speaking over his shoulder, he was greeted to the little Dragon princess going back into the tent hastily. "Heh, that is to easy."

Heading to take a leak, he was suprised Lin Hong actually followed him. Thankfully he waited until after he gave a few wags and cleaned his hand in some dirt after. The ambitious rebel leader gestured for him to follow.

Lin Hong and Ye Xinghe were looking over a cliff as they started to talk. Liang Yu stopped An Xueyun from moving closer and helped her focus to listen in on them. If she tried to go forward, he would use force to keep her put.

"You are not trying to recruit me are you?" Ye Xinghe asked out of the blue. "The Divine Sea Pavillion are just a bunch of terrorists, you should probably leave before its to late."

"When did you figure it out?!" Lin Hong asked alarmed. He took a step to the cliff but found he couldn't move much. "What is going on!?" A formation activated the moment the two made it to this location. Set by Liang Yu previously for just this occasion,

Never know who would be involved with all the changes they had done. Blue white fire immediately burned the clothes and started scorching the flesh. Revealing the tattoo on the arm.

"Actually, I already suspected you long ago." Ye Xinghe said somberly. The expression of Lin Hong gave more joy then he possibly thought. But it was time to stop playing around and kill him. Just needed to wait until those of the North Lord Mansion gets closer. "The mark on your arm that was covered up for one."

"The Blood Demon Enchantment on my arm." Lin Hong kept looking forward then leaned back for a chance the energy had damaged the cliff at all. "This cannot be the end!" Ye Xinghe confirmed the statement. With a deep sigh, he continued. "I didn't think that after hiding my identity so well, and executing the plan I would be exposed this way!"

Lin Hong was sure he could get him to join their side. The oppression of the Azure Feather Family was not hidden from people at all. The Dark Moon Family rode the people hard and caused a lot of deaths and problems over the years.

"That wasn't the only reason, Liang Yu made a few comments that made me think hard about a few matters." He gave a small smile. Comments made to yourself was something to believe the most, right? "If Chu Xian didn't kill so indiscriminately, this might not have happened."

A flicker in Lin Hong's eye of Hope dashed away the moment the formation flared up. Agonizing pain coursing through his body the moment he tried to use qi to break out.

"Haa, he just has to out me. Who knows who could be listening in." Liang Yu mumbled pissed off. An Xueyun tightened her guard as it was to lax. Several people were heading to the location and even Xia Yuning couldn't leave well enough alone. Luckily, the Dark moon Family members followed along tailing her. "Get ready to move at a moment's notice."

"But this isn't about him, this is about you." Ye Xinghe shook his head focusing on the situation. "Why did you even think for a moment it was ok to kill the children of Noble Families because you are but hurt about your weak little daddy?"

As Lin Hong spun his sob story, Liang Yu stifled a yawn as he tried to remember the deeper details about what happens next. So far he just wanted to kill members of the North Lord's Mansion to put them in their place and gain the power up quickly.

An Xueyun was very sympathetic to the plight of Lin Hong. So much that Liang Yu smacked her in the back of the head for being stupid. She didn't have the luxury he reminded.

As Lin Hong talked and Ye Xinghe stroked the embers to provide more for the Heart Method to push further, Liang Yu and An Xueyun backed away.

The girl was shaken about what she heard. No help was needed here and the camp needed more protection just in case. They bumped into Xia Yuning and gave her crap for coming out before returning.

Lin Hong switched to pleading with Ye Xinghe to let him go.

"Xinghe.. why do this?" Lin hong sounded broken. "To sacrifice your life for a woman that you've only known for a few days, is she worth it? Are any of them worth it!?"

"Worth it or not, who knows.." Ye Xinghe kept the smug look back thinking over he lost already. A circle of the Heart Method and he was fine. "It's not just her I am doing this for. I am doing this for myself as well. The Azure Feather Family will need the kick me up from this."

"Ye Xinghe, if you continue to get in my way, I will kill you!" Lin Hong said adamantly. A normal person would understand this person was not a friend really. "The Snow Essence you gave me before was all I needed to make sure I succeed!"

*Woom!* The moment he tried to break into the next layer, the Flame Vortex qi was turned into the opposite of helping Lin Hong. His body started to freeze from the inside and burn on the outside from the formation.

"Sucks to be just a stepping stone for others, doesn't it?" Ye Xinghe raised his hand firing a concentrated beam of Star energy. It pierced the heart, killing Lin Hong instantly. Deactivating the formation, he grabbed the body. "Forgot you are a Summoner Martial Artist."

About as rare as the Necromantic Arts he picks up later, it was a bit of a problem to get enough to be able to make a dantian from it. Chopping the head off and draining out the qi was the best thing for now. Then he thought better at cut at an angle after spreading the Heart Method out to make sure no one was peeping.

The rest of the body was needed for proof. With the Flame Vortex Core taking in the qi and the body parts of Lin Hong, all the refined energy would go well for later. Head and heart go a long way, as well as the Dantian before the qi all goes away.